Jordan P. Grossman, DPM, FACFAS
ACFAS President
In movie parlance, as the director of “ACFAS 2013,” I’d like to thank the cast — you and your peers, and our crew – the volunteers and staff — for another blockbuster year!
It featured a cast of thousands — 7,000, to be exact — a new record membership that was achieved in the fall. In addition, our supporting cast included more student members than ever at nine college clubs.
And as in all ACFAS studio productions, our “genre” never changes: We are the gold standard in CME and scientific research. By sticking to this formula, 98 percent of our fans renewed their membership in 2013, another box office record.
Award season is upon us, so let’s look at some of the nominees for the best of 2013.
Technology and social media was big in the College’s productions this year, including:
- An all-new acfas.org with vastly improved navigation and a mobile friendly design for smartphones and tablets. Look for the “Add to Home Screen” pop-up window for your mobile devices.
- jfas.org is now available in an iPad app, too.
- Our Foot Health Facts Facebook page reached a record number of followers.
- Social media outreach to patients increased with YouTube and Google+ outlets.
In the CME and research category:
- The 2013 Annual Scientific Conference in Las Vegas set records for DPM attendance, exhibits, posters, manuscripts, and happy attendees.
- New Surgical Skills Courses in Total Ankle Replacement and Complications debuted with great reviews.
- A fourth annual arthroscopy session was added to make sure everyone got a good seat.
- A record five clinical research grants were awarded — see page 6 in this issue of Update for the full story.
In patient education, health policy, and practice advocacy:
- acfas.org now features a new Marketing Toolbox with dozens of ways to generate and satisfy more patients.
- New Informational Videos on the education and training of foot and ankle surgeons were released. A new The Foot and Ankle Surgeon brochure was created for you to educate your patients and referring medical professionals.
- A new position statement on Total Ankle Replacement (TAR) Privileging was published.
- We revised the Truth in Advertising, Board Certification of Residency Directors, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Cosmetic Surgery Position Statements
And we also need to acknowledge:
- The Principles of Professional Conduct was updated to include how our members should use social media, both professionally and personally.
- Three new post-graduate fellowship programs were recognized – increasing the total to 24.
- And a new Post-Graduate Affairs Committee was established to help provide residency programs, enhance residency programs, and assist residency directors in doing their jobs.
Interested in knowing more about any of these new releases from ACFAS Studios? Just go to acfas.org — it’s the Netflix of the profession—everything is viewable on demand.
And how will we top this in 2014? Somehow we always do. Thanks for being one of our fans. Stay tuned!